What to Expect

On our winter version of Best In Chow™, you’ll explore the River North and Streeterville neighborhoods with an expert guide. We will share our knowledge of Chicago and showcase the diverse history, architecture and culture of downtown Chicago. It’s no surprise that the Windy City has some chilly winter weather. We will keep you warm with limited outdoor exposure, while also giving you a short opportunity to see Chicago’s streets that are home to both modern architectural gems and historically important landmarks. Enjoy the energy of Michigan Avenue and the revered Magnificent Mile which houses historic landmarks including the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, the Chicago Water Tower.

When visiting Chicago there are leading restaurants that are “must visits” and this tour is the only one that visits them all. You try the best of Chicago’s chow – get it… Best In Chow™…

You’ll start with an ample serving of Lou Malnatis Chicago-style deep dish pizza and then graze on the Chicago staples from Al’s Beef (Italian Beef Sandwich), Garrett Popcorn (Chicago-style Popcorn), and Portillo’s (Chicago-style Hot Dog). End this classic Chicago experience with a modern finish at Copper Fox where Chef Courtney has prepared a nutella brownie that pays homage to the chefs at Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel, who created the tasty treat for the World Columbian Exposition of 1893.

Embrace the charm of Chicago's downtown as we give you a VIP taste of Chicago's famous foods, diverse history and architectural highlights.

Portillo's Chicago-style Hot Dogs

Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Pizza

Al's Italian Beef Sandwich

Garrett Popcorn Mix

One-of-a-kind Brownie

Lou Malnati's

Considered the oldest family name in Chicago pizza, Lou Malnati's iconic Chicago-Style Deep Dish pizza is regarded as the best in the city. Taste it for yourself!

Garrett Popcorn

Savor the popcorn recipes that were born out of a family competition and carried over from the Garrett's Milwaukee home to their first Chicago shop in 1949.

Al's Beef

The history of Al’s #1 Italian Beef Restaurants dates back to 1938. Al's founder Chris Pacelli, started a neighborhood beef stand in Chicago’s “Little Italy” neighborhood.

Portillo's Hot Dogs

The famed Portillo’s was founded in 1963 by Dick Portillo. After returning from serving in the Marines, Dick (with help from his brother Frank) opened a humble hot dog stand.

Copper Fox

From Florence to Chicago, Chef Courtney's passion for food is contagious as he serves up delicious comfort foods with a creative twist in this modern American Gastropub.

ENTER YOUR DEPARTURE POINT OR HOTEL ADDRESS:

Have questions? Here's the most frequently asked.

We provide water for you at many of the tasting locations. However, we always recommend that guests bring their own refillable water bottle to help prevent waste. Alcohol is not provided on the Best In Chow experience, however at the final tasting location (Copper Fox Gastropub) guests are provided with an opportunity to add-on a “boozy chocolate milk” and stay behind to relax with a craft cocktail or local beer while digesting the “Best in Chow”.

We CAN provide substitutions for vegetarians, but we CANNOT provide substitutions for any other allergies or dietary preferences. Allergies and preferences must be indicated in advance at the time of ticket purchase. Please notify us of any serious allergies so we can tell you which food(s) to avoid.

The tours are held rain, shine, or snow. In the event of inclement weather, we will be able to go inside many of the establishments on the tour. We also provide ponchos in case of sudden weather changes or if you do not have your own umbrella. However, we advise to check the weather conditions for your days event and dress appropriately. If there is ever a winter weather emergency and safety of participants is an issue, we will address these rare circumstances accordingly.

The Best In Chow winter version is .5 hour shorter in length and covers .4 less miles than the summer version. This is to help keep attendees warmer during the cold days of Chicago winters. The tour features the same amount of food portions as the summer versions, but does not visit as many tasting locations.

$35

Several locals, several from close in 'burbs and several folks on a week vacation. What a blast. We all loved it. Excellent food and Rachel gave excellent background & history on the food and locations. Each restaurant went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. Must-do!